Singapore’s 2nd-gen Siemens C651 have retired on Nov 27, 2024; first entered passenger service in 1995

The 2nd-gen Siemens C651 trains, which served the North-South, East-West lines (NSEWL) since May 1995, have fully retired from passenger service on Wednesday (Nov 27).

Nineteen trains were procured by the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC) in 1992 to maintain train frequencies and supplement the six-station Woodlands extension between Choa Chu Kang and Yishun stations on the North-South Line (NSL).

2nd-gen Siemens C651 trains have fully retired from passenger service on Nov 27, 2024

Manufactured by German train supplier Siemens AG at its Vienna plant in Austria, the first of 19 C651 trains arrived in Singapore on Sep 20, 1994. The trains subsequently underwent testing and commissioning works before entering passenger service on May 2, 1995.

At that time, local newspaper media touted the C651 train as an improved train model compared to the 1st-gen C151 trains as it came with various new features.

Such features, as reported in the papers, included scratch and stain-resistant exterior paint, an energy-saving propulsion system, an improved air-conditioning system, shock-absorbent wheels, and couplers that can better withstand impacts.

It also came pre-installed with an event recorder, similar to an aircraft’s black box, which helps to quickly detect causes of breakdowns and other incidents, as well as a sensor-equipped public address (PA) system that automatically adjusts its volume in a crowded train.

The C651 trains were recognisable through their melodious-sounding propulsion system on departure and arrival, as well as their iconic white-with-red-stripe livery — which in recent years led many to mistakenly believe they were ‘the oldest Singapore MRT trains’.

A mid-life refurbishment programme, which got halted, was planned to be undertaken on the entire fleet of C651 trains from 2016 to 2018, with new interior fittings, an exterior makeover, new or refurbished train sub-systems, and replacement of the propulsion system.

In September 2020, local trainspotters caught C651 train 203/204 being sent to the scrapyard, with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announcing weeks later that all C651 trains, as with the 3rd-gen C751B trains, would be replaced by the 7th-gen Alstom Movia R151 trains.

MORE INFO: Alstom Movia R151: SMRT’s Newest 7th-Gen MRT Train Has Entered Passenger Service on Jun 4, 2023 »

Fast forward to the present day, according to crowdsourced trainspotting platform SGTrains Spotters, the last three C651 trains, 201/202, 207/208, and 237/238, were last spotted running between Sep 27–30, 2024, during the six-day-long East-West Line (EWL) disruption.

It could’ve simply been a mere coincidence or that decommissioning was expedited by the authority and rail operator, as the C651 trains never returned to passenger service after EWL resumed passenger service on Oct 1, 2024.

Several carriages of train 237/238 were sent to the scrapyard on Wednesday and Saturday, thus marking the complete retirement of the 2nd-gen Siemens C651 fleet.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has repurposed several C651 train carriages for their training purposes, and the National Museum of Singapore (NMS) acquired two sets of C651 train doors, a pair of seats, and two MRT train system map displays.

NMS added that it preserved several parts “for a potential exhibition” rather than the whole C651 train carriage as it boils down to the “display potential” of the items.

It would be a great pity if the authority, rail operator, or any relevant government agency didn’t push forward in retaining a whole train carriage of any retired generation of rolling stock to preserve a part of history for future generations to view and learn more about.

SEE ALSO: Singapore’s 3rd-gen C751B trains have retired on Dec 7, 2024; first entered passenger service in 2000 »
SEE ALSO: “Thank You, Max!” – Japan Retires the Last Double-decker Shinkansen Train »

Related Links
Siemens C651 – SGTrains

Images: SGTrains.
This article first appeared on SGTrains.
Last updated on 15 Dec 2024.